There are numerous exercises which are known to help build strength in the arms, shoulders, glutes, back, core and various other parts of the body. One such popular exercise is the plank.
A plank is a static or stationary exercise in which the trainee (i.e., a person who is doing the exercise) maintains a position similar to a push-up position for a length of time. There are many variations of the plank, of which one of the most common is where the trainee maintains his or her position at the top of a push-up position for a length of time. By maintaining this position, this exercise is known to work many different muscles, including but not limited to the abdominals, arms, shoulders, glutes, back, etc.
However, one potential issue with the plank that many trainees experience is wrist pain.
In a normal wrist alignment, a trainee's wrist is aligned in a straight line with the rest of the arm. However, in certain plank positions, a trainee's wrist is aligned at an angle to the rest of the arm. Usually, this angle is approximately 90 degrees or approximately perpendicular to the rest of the arm, but can be more or less than 90 degrees depending the trainee's position.
In plank positions where the trainee's wrist is aligned at an angle to the rest of the arm, there is downward pressure being exerted on the trainee's wrist due to the weight of the body being supported by the wrist. A combination of this downward pressure being supported by the wrist while aligned at an angle to the rest of the arm often leads to wrist pain after a certain length of time in these plank positions.
To try and help alleviate wrist pain during planks, a trainee can wear wrist straps that wrap around the wrist to provide additional support to the wrist. However, these wrist straps can be uncomfortable to wear and inconvenient to put on for a single plank exercise.
Alternatively, a trainee can use a prop such as yoga blocks to adjust the angle of the wrist during a plank position so that the wrist pain can be reduced. However, conventional yoga blocks are not optimally designed for just planks, and are further cumbersome and inconvenient to carry around for a single plank exercise.
As such, there is a need for a plank assist device designed solely to help reduce wrist pain during planks that is portable and easy to carry around.